Rail-joint.



No. 629,926. 9 Patented A'ug. |s99.

J. G. scnmaunlaa A BAIL JOINT.

(Application led May 10, 1899.)

(No Model.) i

UNITED STATES v PATENT u Brion.

THE UNION swITCII ANDsIGNAL VANIA.

COMPANY, or, SWISSVALE, PENNSYL.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION formihglpart of Letters ratent No. 629,926, date-d August 1, 1899.

lppllcalon nel my lo, 1899. serial No. 716,244. (No model.)

in Rail-Joints, of which improvements the fol! lowing is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in insulated joints for railway-tracks, and has for its object the provision of a combined sh-plate and clamp whereby the adjoining ends of rails are held in alinernent with each other and the insulating material firlnly held in position around the rail. y

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation showing my improvement applied` to the adjoining ends of rails. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating a modified structure.

In the practice of my inventionva disk 1 of insulating material, having a contour corresponding to that of the rail, is interposed between adjoining ends of the rails 2. Blocks 3 of insulating Inaterial,preferably hard wood, are placed alongside of the rails: These blocks, which are shaped to fit against the web of the rail and bear against the under side of the rail-head and on top of the flange, are of suliicient length to extend along the 1 rails a distance at leastvequal to that of the usual fish-plate and of sufficient thickness to project beyond the edges of the rail-flange, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The angle-bars are then placed in position. These bars are preferably made from a strip of platemetal by bending the latter longitudinally, so as to form a vertical clalnp portion 4: and a horizontal bridge portion 5. These angle-bars are provided with flanges 6 at the junction of the horizontal and vertical portions. These anges, which form bearings for the heads of spikes, may be formed by suitably folding the metal strips while bending the same to form the angle-bars.

Vhile the angle-bars may be constructed,

as shown in Fig. 3, with the vertical clamp portions connected by an integral continuous bridge port-ion, it is preferred to construct the angle-bars, as shown in Fig. 2, in two independent sections, the bridge portion of each section being made by preference sufciently wide to extend entirely across under the rails. This construction permits of the placing of the angle-bars in position by a lateral Inove- Inent and without any excessive lifting of the rails, and therefore is especially adapted for use in applying the improved construction to previously-laid tracks and in repairing tracks. In applying the angle-bars a strip 7 of insulating nlaterial is intel-posed between the bridge portion and the bottom of the rail.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2, Where the bridge portions overlap the vertical portion 4 of the bar, the bridge portionA of which is underneath, is made, preferably, a little higher than the corresponding portion of the other bar, and the bridge portion of the same bar is made sufficiently Wide to extend under the flange 6 of the other bar, so as to prevent such flange from being bent down when the bars are being spiked to the cross-ties. As shown, suitable notches are cut in the anges 5 for the reception of the spikes.

The angle-bars are drawn against the blocks and the latter against the rails by means of boltsS, passing through said parts and the Webs of the rails. In order to insulate the bolts from the angle-bars, flanged sleeves 9 surround the bolts where they pass through the angle-bars, the ilanges of the sleeves extending between the angle-bars and the heads y and nuts on the bolts.

It will be observed that while the anglebars are entirelyinsulated from the rails they form a very eicient support and serve as fishplates and tie-plates for the rails.

I claim herein as Iny inventionl. In a rail-joint the combination of blocks of insulating material arranged on opposite sides of the rails and angle-bars constructed to bear against the blocks and support the rails extending across the rail-joint, substan tially as set forth.

2. Ina rail-joint, the combination of blocks of insulating material'arranged on opposite IOC) sides of the rails, and bars provided with vertical clamping portions and bridge portions of insulating material arranged on opposite sides of the rails and angle-bars constructed to bear against the blocks and support the rails and provided with anges, said bars ex-V Y tending across the rail-joint, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto seiv my hand.

J ENS G. SCHREUDER.

Witnesses: l

F. E. GAITHER, DARWIN S. WoLCoTT. 

